Happy to be in the semifinals of the Akron Zapopan Open, the Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya does not forget the situation in Ukraine. “It is very sad and frightening to see the people of Ukraine suffering. Not many people know, but my mother is Ukrainian and I am half Ukrainian. It’s very sad indeed and people in Russia don’t want war. We want this to end soon,” she said.
At a press conference after her victory in the quarterfinals of the Mexican tournament, Kalinskaya said that with tennis she tries to be somewhat oblivious to what is happening in Ukraine, although it is impossible. “I love to compete and work hard, I try to forget what happens when I’m on the court, but it’s impossible not to see my phone and want to call my parents to find out where they are.
The Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska told through a post on Instagram that she had to leave her country with her younger sister, while her parents stayed in the country, something that Anna Kalinskaya regretted. “I haven’t written to Dayana, thanks for reminding me. I think she can leave Ukraine, but I’m not sure about her family.”commented the number 100 in the ranking of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
sport and politics
Finally, he knows that a possible coronation in Zapopan would be of little or no use at this time, since “sport is sport and politics is politics”. Anna Kalinskaya defeated Colombian Camila Osorio 6-4 and 6-1 in the quarterfinals and will face the winner of the duel between Sloane Stephens and Daria Saville on Saturday in the semifinals of the tournament.
